by Chantal Ashford, Contributing Writer
At first glance, you can’t tell what They Cloned Tyrone is about, but the Jordan Peele-coded trailers alone were enough to have anyone like me seated. Also, it helps when you have a fantastic ensemble led by John Boyega, Teyonah Parris, and Jamie Foxx to make a hilarious, blaxploitation-style flick.
Our unlikely trio — Fontaine (Boyega), Yo-Yo (Parris), and Slick Charles (Foxx) — has uncovered a cloning conspiracy in their neighborhood. Fontaine believes his life to be the same daily routine, but comes to realize everything isn’t what it seems. He gets help from the likes of Yo-Yo and Slick Charles after they find out he has been cloned, and hilarity ensues.
Fontaine, Yo-Yo, and Slick go down the rabbit hole, trying to figure out who the boss is. The community is oblivious to what is going on around them, so the group must figure out how to bring this ploy to light and rally the neighborhood to join forces. The twists and turns are not the ones you might expect. There will be moments that have you laughing, and ones that will have you muttering, “WTF.”
Thanks to their fantastic chemistry, Foxx and Parris are the comedic duo. They bounce off one another, and the comedy flows effortlessly, while Boyega rounds out the group as the poignant center. The three different personalities mesh well. I love when you can tell actors got along off screen, because it shows well on screen unless they’re just that good.
Fontaine urges for the truth, knowing his reality isn’t absolute. He is ruthless and violent as the streets made him, but he shows he can be vulnerable. Boyega can carry a film on his back, as he does here; I hope he’s the next big thing, as he continues to show us he has that ability.
Yo-Yo stands out as the no-nonsense, wannabe sleuth. She’s a millennial girl with a B2K poster hanging in her old bedroom, and a Nancy Drew collection on her desk. Yo-Yo wants more than the life fatefully chosen for her, and hopes for a way out.
Foxx never seems to disappoint, as he plays the comical pimp, Slick Charles, who stepped right out of the ‘70s. He doesn’t miss with his timing, delivery, and hysterics. Foxx’s portrayal of Slick isn’t a caricature, but a genuine performance.
A wild Kiefer Sutherland also appears as the baddie, Nixon, who’s helping with the cloning operation, but of course, there is more to the scenario. With the short amount of screen time, Sutherland is believable as the boss in charge.
Juel Taylor’s directorial debut is creative, sleek, and hits its mark. With the nostalgic feel of Coffey, Superfly,and the 2009 blaxploitation film Black Dynamite, Tyrone will become a classic in its rights.
If you enjoy genre-bending movies with science fiction, horror, thriller, and comedy elements, or are just looking forward to something out of the box, They Cloned Tyrone is a must-watch.
Rating: Loved it
They Cloned Tyrone is currently streaming on Netflix
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